1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drip molding for a vehicle, which is used for draining waterdrops which enter a side edge of a windowpane on the front or back side of the vehicle.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-305447, filed Oct. 20, 2005, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a drip molding having a function of draining raindrops or the like is arranged at a side edge of a front windowpane of a vehicle. The drip molding has an attachment base which is attached to a front pillar, and from the attachment base, a glass pane (i.e., windowpane) sealing part and a furnishing lip part extend. The glass pane sealing part is disposed so as to be in close contact with the front surface of a side edge of the front windowpane, and the furnishing lip part projects toward the front surface of the front windowpane 6 so as to form a canopy, thereby forming a drainage path having a substantially U-shaped section between the inner face of the furnishing lip part and the front windowpane.
It is desirable that this type of drip molding have a larger capacity drainage path, so as to reliably catch rainwater which enters a side edge of a windowpane due to the movement of a wiper or an air current occurring during the running of the vehicle.
In response to the above request, a drip molding having a furnishing lip part which is arranged at a high position (i.e., having a larger distance from the windowpane), or a drip molding in which a larger angle is formed between the windowpane and the furnishing lip part has been proposed (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. H10-58967).
However, in such a drip molding, the drainage path has a larger capacity due to increase in the height or angle of the furnishing lip part to be arranged; thus, the distance from the front surface of the windowpane to the head of the furnishing lip part increases in accordance with an increase in the capacity of the drainage path. Additionally, when this distance increases, part of the air current drawn from the front surface of the windowpane to either side of the vehicle body is separated at the furnishing lip part, which tends to cause a wind-cutting sound.
Therefore, conventionally, a wide area of the outer face of the pillar joined to the furnishing lip part is smoothly bent, so as to adjust turbulent flow occurring at the furnishing lip part by using the bent surface of the pillar.
However, recently, a narrower outer face of the pillar is sometimes desired in order to secure sufficient visibility or due to a demand relating to the design of the vehicle body. In this case, it is difficult to sufficiently suppress the turbulent flow on the outer face of the pillar. Therefore, actually, it is difficult to simultaneously: (i) secure a sufficient capacity of the drainage path; and (ii) prevent the occurrence of a wind-cutting sound.